When Hasbro Inc.
HAS, -0.13%
developed G.I. Joe figures nearly 50 years ago as a response to the soaring popularity of Mattel Inc.'s
MAT, +0.03%
Barbie, the toy maker ran into a slight snag: it didn't think boys would be too keen to buy dolls.

But the company quickly came up with a solution. And that's when the term "action figure" was coined.

Nearly half a century later, Hasbro--the second largest global toy maker by sales--is confronting gender stereotypes entrenched in two of the company's other decades-old properties: Nerf and the Easy-Bake Oven. Hasbro--reacting to social cues and changes in how boys and girls play--is taking some steps to challenge a deeply divided toy aisle.

The new Easy-Bake Oven will be sold in a gender-neutral silver and black model with blue accents. The packaging features a young boy and girl playing with the oven, which has sold over 30 million units since its debut 50 years ago.

Easy-Bake Oven's new look received some media attention last year after a New Jersey teen started an online petition calling for an oven that would appeal to her younger brother. But Hasbro, which will also sell a pink-and-purple version, had been developing the new oven before the petition.

Hasbro's Global Chief Marketing Officer John Frascotti told Dow Jones Newswires that the new Easy-Bake Oven was a nod to the popularity of television cooking shows that courts viewers of both genders.

The company this fall will also sell action toys under the "Nerf Rebelle" line--the first time Hasbro has specifically marketed Nerf to girls. Most of the Nerf Rebelle line-which includes blasters and a crossbow-has a 75-foot range, matching the range for other Nerf products.

"Our own success with Furby has shown us that older girls do in fact continue to shop the girls' aisle, but there remains an unmet need," Mr. Frascotti said. "And that unmet need is for active play."

Nerf Rebelle was partly inspired by the rising interest in archery, a skill honed by female protagonists in Hollywood films like "Brave" and "The Hunger Games." Hasbro spent nearly three years researching Nerf's move to the girls' aisle, an effort that could broaden the brand's appeal as over three-quarters of Nerf sales are to boys.

Hasbro isn't alone in facing the culturally sensitive issue. Lego A/S last year debuted a girl-focused line called "Lego Friends," which has helped the Danish company sell more building sets to girls after a few failed attempts to address that demographic.

Soren Torp Laursen, president of Lego's North American division, said far more girls were interested in role-play and building than the company had initially anticipated. Mr. Laursen said once girls try the Friends line, they were more likely to buy gender-neutral sets like the "City" line.

And while the building sets cultivate the same play experience for girls and boys, Mr. Laursen said "the way we package that experience [differs]."

Among the more notable discoveries Lego learned along the way was girls tend to focus more on aesthetics than boys. For instance, it didn't make sense to girls that traditional Lego figures essentially don't have necks. Another practical issue that vexed them: where were the bathrooms? A few appear in the newer buildings.

Though the initiatives can bolster sales as toys are marketed to a gender outside of the traditional focus, some experts say more progress needs to be made.

Dr. Barbara Risman, a professor and head of the sociology department at the University of Illinois Chicago, said toy makers for decades have used colors as a marketing tool, in the process dividing which toys are socially acceptable for each gender.

"Children have learned when something is pink, it is only for girls," Dr. Risman said. Dr. Risman believes this issue is more troublesome for boys, saying her research shows girls have more leeway to play with "boys" toys.

Another expert on the topic of gender, Jennifer Berger, said her main concern was that even if the new toys were made with the purest intentions, the color choices remained stereotypical. Nerf Rebelle, like Lego Friends, utilizes pink and purple prominently.

"We really need to think about the culture we are creating in which girls like pink and gender-specific things," said Ms. Berger, executive director for About-Face, a non-profit that teaches children about their self-esteem and body image.

But ultimately, both Dr. Risman and Ms. Berger said the toy makers were addressing deeply entrenched gender stereotypes that go beyond any one company's control.

The new Easy-Bake Oven won praise from Dr. Risman, who said the product was a move in the right direction to make a traditional girls' toy cooler for boys.

"Pink Legos aren't for everyone, they scream out 'We are for girls,'" Dr. Risman said. "The oven says 'This is an oven.'"

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